Roast Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Serves 4-6

  • 3 heads of garlic
  • 1 whole chicken, 4-6 pounds
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 Tablespoons white wine
  • 6 scallions, chopped
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, or fresh thyme
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Set aside. Separate the heads of garlic into individual cloves. Discard the papery skin surrounding the garlic cloves in each head, but don't peel the individual cloves. You'll be roasting them with the skin on. Mix the salt and pepper together and season the inside of the chicken with about 1 tsp of the mixture. Stuff one sprig of the rosemary in the cavity. Chop the remaining rosemary and mix with the salt and pepper. Chop the scallions.

Place the chicken in a Dutch oven with a cover. Loosen the skin on the breast of the chicken. Spread approximately 1 tsp of the salt, pepper, rosemary mixture under the skin. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the outside of the chicken. Spread the rest of the seasoning mixture over the skin of the chicken. Top the chicken with the chopped scallions and all of the garlic cloves. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of wine over the chicken and garlic. Sprinkle another tablespoon of olive oil over the garlic cloves.

Cover the pot and roast the chicken until it reads 185°F. I like to remove the cover for the last 20 minutes of cooking to allow the chicken to brown. Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes.

While the chicken rests, remove the garlic cloves from the pot. Squeeze them into a small bowl and discard the skins. Mash the garlic with a fork. You'll want to spread this garlic on toasted slices of Italian bread or as a condiment for the chicken.

To serve toasted Italian bread with the roasted garlic slice a loaf of Italian bread into 1/2 inch slices. Brush each slice with olive oil. Place the bread slices on a rack in rimmed 1/2 sheet pan. Broil for a couple of minutes until golden. Watch the bread because it will burn easily. Brush the other side of each slice with oil and toast under the broiler. Spread with the roasted garlic and serve as an accompaniment to your chicken.